Tenkara Blog

As fly tiers, we pride ourselves on the reward of catching fish on flies we tied ourselves. But what about catching fish on flies we tied ourselves using tools we made ourselves? I think taking tying to this next level deepens our connections to the humble origins of our craft and strengthens ourself-reliance as anglers.…

One time, while fishing a local stream with my good friend Karel, tragedy stuck and was narrowly averted. I was standing about knee deep in the water re-rigging, when suddenly, my net slipped out of my wader belt and was mercilessly swept away by the current. I watched in slow motion as it drifted helplessly…

Sling packs have become all the rage in fly fishing over the last few years–and for good reason. They’re light, compact, versatile, and offer a unique hybrid alternative to wearing both a backpack and a fly fishing vest without sacrificing the convenience and functionality of either. And the intrinsic ethos of their design is especially…

One of my closest friends and favorite fishing partners, Dennis Vander Houwen from Tenkara Path paid me a visit to show me some his latest wooden tenkara line spool designs. Dennis is a magician by trade, but he’s also a magician at the lathe–creating some of the most innovative and gorgeous spools I’ve ever seen.…

I’ve had a good talk with several veteran tenkara anglers and here are some of my thoughts on the current state of the tenkaraverse. I think we all really need to stick together and realize that even though the sport has grown, we’re still a niche within a niche, within a niche. We should all…

Back when I started tenkara fishing, there were really only a handful of rods available in the U.S. It was easy to differentiate them because there just weren’t that many choices. And it was nearly impossible to get rods directly from Japan because of the exorbitant prices, slow shipping times, and language barrier. Fast forward…

A few weeks ago, I met up with Karin Miller from Zen Flyfishing and she let me try out her new floating line along the banks of the Fall River in Estes Park, CO. I pretty much exclusively fish level fluorocarbon lines; however, there are situations in which I find a floating line works better…

Over the long holiday weekend, I was able to catch up with my friend Karin Miller of Zen Flyfishing and got my hands on their new tenkara spoolbox. This is a really innovative piece of gear that is as beautiful as it is function. It’s basically a round wooden box that can hold more flies…

This 4th of July Weekend, I had the pleasure of having a guest at my house who is a tour de force in tenkara–Brian Lindsay. Brian is an avid tenkara fisher and tyer with a unique perspective on fly design. Here’s a quick video about his philosophy on tying that I think you’ll enjoy and…

In the world of fishing, there is perhaps nothing more totemistic and sacrosanct as the fishing hat. Forget all your other gear. We all know that your lucky hat is truly the one thing responsible for having a successful day on the river. It’s your best friend. It’s familiar. You’ve broken it in just right.…

Several years ago, when Daniel Galhardo from Tenkara USA told me he was in the process of writing a book on tenkara, I was excited. At that time, there really wasn’t anything in print in English on tenkara and there was very limited information online (compared to today). Since then, a few English-language books and magazines…

Whether it’s a job, hobby, or mandated endeavor, starting anything new can be frustrating. Everything’s different, strange, unfamiliar. And even if you genuinely want to do it in your mind, there can be roadblocks that make you question your now seemingly idealistic intentions. Tenkara is no exception. When I first started tenkara, I faced many…

In one of my recent posts, I mentioned how I’m rediscovering some patterns I used to use with a rod and reel that I think are good for tenkara. There was a Facebook post the other day that reminded me of another one: the Buckskin Nymph. The Buckskin nymph is is simple. It’s basically nothing…

Between this blog and my previous blog, Gear Talk, I’ve written nearly 1,000 articles on backpacking, snowshoeing, fly fishing, and tenkara. It’s hard to believe looking back, but I consider it an accomplishment. For many years, I was pretty much writing in isolation–just doing my own thing and not really connecting with the outdoor writing…

I just got back from my annual pilgrimage to the Denver Flyfishing Show. I think I haven’t missed one since I moved to Colorado over 15 years ago, and this year didn’t disappoint. Most of the usual suspects were there, but there were a few new faces that you’ll recognize from the tenkara community. Tenkara USA…

In winter, trout switch into a different mode from the warmer months of the year. And, you can’t blame them. After all, food is scarce, and their metabolism significantly slows down. This means two important things for the angler: 1. They will be more lethargic to conserve energy which changes their holding behaviours, patterns, and…

My friend Graham of Tenkara Grasshopper recently wrote a post on Facebook asking for feedback on which topics people might like to see him blog about. Someone suggested an interesting idea: non-fishing gear for fishing. I try to keep this blog pretty tightly focused on fishing gear (and even moreso on tenkara) but after thinking…

In my second ever guest post on this blog, I am proud to publish Sara Golden’s insightful response to a comment I recently made about the debate regarding the ethics of wearing felt-soled wading boots. Sara is an avid fly fisher based in Oregon and currently travelling Europe, exploring what the world of fishing has…

Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>